Thousands of veterans are struggling to combat the invisible wounds of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). What’s worse is too many of them are locked out from receiving the life-saving care we promised them when they signed up to serve.

Since 2001, more than 300,000 service members have received less-than-honorable discharges. Many have no access to VA medical services. However, the reason for those discharges is often behavior linked to trauma-related injuries like PTSD and TBI. Veterans with less-than-honorable discharges are twice as likely to die by suicide.

The Fairness for Veterans Act can help change this. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO) requires the military to consider medical evidence of PTSD or TBI in the discharge review process.

This is what makes the Fairness for Veterans Act different: it’s a bipartisan bill for vets, backed by vets. Forty-four of the nation’s top Veterans Service Organization have signed on in support. This isn’t a “red” or a “blue” issue, and our lawmakers need to know it.

If you feel compelled to help, there is a bill up in congress right now with only a few weeks left to pass . If you agree with the Fairness for Veterans Act, you could show your support by signing below.

Fairness for Veterans Petition

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 20 U.S. veterans die by suicide every day. About 70 percent of veterans who took their own lives were not regular users of VA services. Veterans with less-than-honorable discharges are the most vulnerable group. These less-than-honorable discharges are often issued to service members for minor misconduct, that experts say, can be behavior linked to PTSD, TBI or other trauma-related injuries.

Now is the time for Fairness for Veterans. Let's give them hope to help heal the invisible wounds of war. Please support this common sense, bi-partisan bill to require the military discharge review boards to consider mental health diagnoses like PTSD and TBI.

I am asking the congressional delegation from my state to commit to changing the discharge review board policy by passing the Fairness for Veterans Act.